S. Korean captain tells teammates to hold heads high after semifinal loss at U-20 World Cup

South Korea may have lost to Italy in the semifinals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina on Thursday evening, but their tournament isn’t over yet.

That was the message delivered by South Korean captain Lee Seung-won, who scored the team’s lone goal in a 2-1 loss to Italy at La Plata Stadium in La Plata, eastern Argentina.

South Korea will now face Israel in the third-place match on Sunday, back in La Plata.

“Some guys hung their heads and others shed tears, but our tournament is not over,” Lee said. “I told them to hold their heads high because we have another match to play. I said we have to win the next one for our supporters.”

Lee has been the heart and soul of the underdog team that has far exceeded pretournament expectations. South Korea had been undefeated before the semifinals, with a win and two draws in the group stage, followed by consecutive victories over Ecuador and Nigeria in the knockouts before running into the Gli Azzurrini.

“We didn’t think we’d get this deep into the tournament,” Lee acknowledged. “It has taken a total team effort by the players and the coaching staff. We have more football to play and we will prepare for the next match the best we can.”

Lee converted a 23rd-minute penalty that leveled the score at 1-1, nine minutes after Cesare Casadei had put Italy on the board.

With two goals and four assists in Argentina, Lee has matched the offensive output of Lee Kang-in, the Golden Ball winner as the MVP of the 2019 U-20 World Cup where South Korea finished runners-up to Ukraine.

“An individual honor would be nice but right now, the team comes first,” Lee said. “If I continue to play hard for the team, then even better results will follow.”

Lee nearly grabbed his second goal of the match that would have put South Korea ahead in the 63rd minute. He took a cross from Lee Ji-han from the right flank and fired a one-timer with his right foot, forcing Sebastiano Desplanches to make a tough diving save.

“As the ball was coming toward me, I had a lot of thoughts going through my head,” Lee Seung-won said. “I tried to decide whether I should hold the ball first or take the shot right away. I don’t regret my decision. I am just a bit disappointed.”

The 20-year-old midfielder said competing at the U-20 World Cup has been an eye-opener on a personal level.

“At this competition, I’ve identified a lot of issues to address with my game,” he said. “This tournament has given me an opportunity to take the next step. I think it’s quite significant in that regard.”

With Lee Seung-won providing the only goal, striker Lee Young-jun was held in check by the physical Italian defenders.

The lanky forward came into the match tied for the team lead with two goals, but he got pushed around harder than in any of the previous matches.

“I felt they were all great players,” Lee said of his opponents, with his eyes still puffy. “I am really sorry to my teammates that I didn’t get the job done as a striker.”

Lee echoed his captain’s sentiment that the work is not done for the young Taegeuk Warriors.

“Though we didn’t grab the win today, we all battled hard and we don’t have regrets,” he said. “There’s one more match to play. We’re not going to give up. We will continue to put the work in and give our best in the final match.”